ABUJA – Following a backlash against Tuesday’s harassment of essential workers by policemen enforcing the nationwide curfew imposed by President Muhammadu Buhari as part of the COVID-19 lockdown measures, including the threat to down tools by medical doctors, police authorities in Abuja, have made a volte face from their initial hard stance.
Claiming to be enforcing orders from the Inspector General of Police (IGP), policemen, mostly in Lagos, had massed up in the streets to harass and even arrest many residents including those on essential services.
All pleas to the contrary had fallen on deaf ears as the obdurate policemen insisted on carrying out the orders, which they said came via a signal from Abuja forbidding any form of movements including medical personnel, equipment, and journalists, seen as crucial in the attempt to contain the COVID-19 scourge ravaging the country.
The incident had sparked off immediate reactions with doctors in Lagos, threatening to go on strike over the ill-treatment, in which many of them actually slept in the streets, having been prevented from moving further from the spot where they were arrested by the police, who argued that lockdown was different from the curfew, operating between 8pm and 6am daily.
Frank Mba, spokesman of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), who conveyed the directive, said in a statement on Wednesday, that it was specifically directed to all Zonal Assistant Inspectors General of Police (AIGs) and Commands Commissioners of Police (CPs) to give effect to “these exemptions whilst enforcing the restriction orders.” (Whirlwindnews.com)
